I found this awesome cake stand at a thrift store this summer in Toledo Bend Louisiana. It was only 25 bucks so snatched it up. As soon I got home I cleaned it with an old trick my mom taught me. The results were fabulous. It made the perfect piece for the center of my party. All you need to restore silver is baking soda and water. You may also want to grab an old tooth brush and some rags. Mix the baking soda and water to make a paste. Spread the paste all over the item you wish to restore. There is no method to this madness just make sure to leave the combination on for about an hour. Once the combination has been sitting wipe it off with the rags. Wet the rags as needed and use a toothbrush to get any small areas. Repeat the process as necessary.

This was the cake stand before the upgrade, the tarnishing made it look dirty. Now it’s fresh but still antique and I can’t wait to use it for all of my parties to come.

This weekend I had the best engagement party! My family and friends hosted a party for my fiancé and I. In true cajun style everybody pitched in and brought something to eat or drink. My friend got all the ingredients to make some delicious drinks. I helped her with my personal favorite-Sangria! This drink is a crowd pleaser, it went so fast that I couldn’t get a picture of it full.

This recipe makes a party sized amount of sangria, but if you want a smaller batch you can divide the recipe into three. You will need a wine opener, a tablespoon measuring cup, a large bowl, a mixing spoon, a cutting board and a knife.

Recipe:

6-8 oranges

3-4 lemons

3 bottles of red wine. (I used Kendall Jackson Merlot)

3 tablespoons of Grenadine

3 12oz cans of lemon-lime soda

3 tablespoons of frozen lemonade concentrate

3 tablespoons of frozen limeade concentrate

First chop all of your oranges and lemons into tiny slices. Watch out for seeds! After all of your fruit is cut, store in Ziplock bags and freeze overnight. This will make your sangria cold without using ice and watering it down.

Pour all of your liquids in a large bowl. I did the wine first to make sure my bowl was big enough for all three bottles. Remember you need to leave room for stirring.

Next add three tablespoons of each of the following: frozen lemonade, frozen limeade and grenadine.

Chill the mixture overnight. When ready to serve combine the liquid and fruit slices in a punch bowl or pitcher.

I love using this simple trick to display multiple small images. This easy banner creates a fun way to show pictures with out buying frames.

I used a bunch of the small pictures cut out from my gallery art book, but you can also print pictures online or use 4×6 photos. All you need is: string of any kind, tape to hold the string, and of course clothes pins. Cut the string as long as you would like your banner to be. You can place your pictures as close or far apart as you want. I like to alternate the orientation of my pictures to give the banner an artsy look. These banners also make great personalized party decorations! With the holidays around the corner this is a cute and inexpensive way to hang up Christmas cards or family pictures.

I made this cute little canvas for my bathroom this weekend from an old broken canvas I had lying around.

My idea all started from this awesome book of prints. I found it at Marshalls for only $4.99, but they can also be found at Hobby Lobby and Micheals. They are designed with a bunch of coordinating prints with different sayings and different sizes. I used the 11×14 print because it was the same size as my canvas. This diy also works with photos!

My canvas is about 2 years old with a hole right in the middle, which is perfect for remodeling because the whole thing will get covered up.

Start by painting the edges of the canvas. I chose dark gray for my edges to play up the dark grey words on my print. Let the paint dry and then paint a coat of Mod Podge over the top of the canvas. The coat should be thick enough to stick the print to the canvas, but thin enough so it won’t drip off of the canvas.

Center the print onto the canvas. make sure the picture does not overlap the canvas on any of the edges. use your hands to smooth the print onto the canvas. Make sure to get out any bubbles. when starting out, it helps to flip the canvas over and press the picture from the inside of the canvas. Once the picture is in place, add another coat of Mod Podge on top.

Allow the glue to dry overnight and then place your finished canvas on a wall or easel. I chose to put mine on an easel in my bathroom so that I could see this sweet quote everyday and be reminded of the love I have for my fiancé.

My parents had this great rustic looking floor board left over from redoing their house. It is the perfect size for a wood sign. I found a quote and a font that I liked and printed it to uses as a guide. I tried tracing the letters super hard with a pencil to make an outline but the board in too thick. Then I tried free handing the letters, but it is not the neat, clean look I was going for. If any body has and suggestions on how to paint words on wood please comment under this post!

Cajun ingenuity at it’s finest. Halloween is over:( But I could not bring myself to throw away my pumpkin just yet. I always like to do something a little different with my pumpkins. (One year I even carved a watermelon) This pumpkin “carving” was done with my future father-in-law’s drill a large pumpkin. At first I tried to drill my holes in a pattern, buttttttttt this project is super messy so I ended up drilling holes everywhere.

Clean the pumpkin guts out like normal

Drill as many holes as your heart desires

Clean out the pumpkin again

Add a candle

CAUTION: There will be pumpkin pieces everywhere! I wish I had a picture to show but I did not have my phone handy the day I carved it. This picture was taken afterwards when all of the pumpkin was cleaned up. My suggestion would be to put down a tarp to catch some of the pumpkin bits! Do not attempt this project inside.

Nothing says cajun like a little burlap! Over the last couple of years burlap has become a huge home decorating trend. When used in moderation burlap can add the perfect cajun touch. Here are 5 ways it can be used this fall.